Traffic on the Kennedy Bridge during rush hour. (Kylene Lloyd, The Courier-Journal) May 12, 2011

Written by

Marcus Green | The Courier-Journal

Kentucky transportation officials said Monday that two more repairs need to be made, including fixing a possible crack that may be expanding.

Engineers haven’t been able to confirm that the spot is an actual crack in the steel or something less troubling. The potential crack in the top horizontal part of the Kennedy’s network of trusses was measured at a half inch after it was discovered by Palmer Engineering in November 2010. Palmer had recommended the state monitor that and four other spots that hadn’t been noticed before or had grown.

The area to be repaired is of concern because it runs across the beam and could compromise the structure if it worsens.

David Steele, manager of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s bridge preservation branch, said the state has measured the possible crack at ¾ inches and plans to repair it so that the any future growth wouldn’t affect the bridge. For instance, Steele said, steel plates could be added to absorb the weight of traffic instead of the area with the potential crack.

“We just want to put it to rest once and for all,” he said.

The Stantec engineering firm is planning the repair and expects to present its approach to the state in about two weeks, Steele said. Fixing the possible crack will require closing the far right southbound lane during a weekend, he said.

Kentucky officials couldn’t say how much the repair will cost and when the lane will be closed. MAC Construction and Excavating, of New Albany, Ind., will make the repair under a change order in its $18.2 million contract to repair the Kennedy and adjoining ramps, according to the state.

A second repair on a pothole is expected to be done before the end of September and also be included in the MAC contract, state officials said. It will require shutting down the far left southbound lane for about eight hours and will “most likely” be done at night or during a weekend, Steele said.

A new concrete deck was placed on the Kennedy over the summer, but a grapefruit-sized hole in the lane developed and will be filled in, said Chuck Wolfe, a Transportation Cabinet spokesman.

Wolfe said the pothole was the result of concrete placed close to a bridge joint. The material apparently didn’t set because of excess vibration and movement on the span, he said.

“Had the bridge been closed to traffic longer, it would have had more time to bond,” he said.